Drivers feel pinch at the pump

The price of regular gasoline has climbed 15 cents a gallon across upstate New York since January, to an average of $3.84 at the beginning of this week.

Jessica DiNapoli

The price of regular gasoline has climbed 15 cents a gallon across upstate New York since January, to an average of $3.84 at the beginning of this week.

Price increases around this time of year aren't unusual. Refineries partially shut down, choking supply, as they swap out winter fuel for costlier summer blends, said Gregg Laskoski, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.

But gas prices were higher in the first week of January than they ever have been at that time of year, according to data from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

That means there's an elevated starting point for future increases, which normally happen later on in the spring, and then again in the fall.

"The floor gets higher and higher," Laskoski said. "We're prone to higher prices when they peak, at whatever point that may be."

The cost of regular gas in upstate New York, which includes all counties north of Rockland and Westchester, peaked at $4.12 in the first week of April last year. Regular fuel in some parts of Orange County, including Fort Montgomery, surpassed the $4 mark Thursday.

The recent bump-up has drivers like Joe Gida of Newburgh running fewer errands, decreasing how often he stops and starts his car.

The idea of higher future peak prices reflected what Ruben Vidal, who has been a taxi driver in Newburgh for 14 years, has seen at the pump. When he filled up with 93 octane fuel at the Mobil on Broadway at 4 a.m. Thursday, the cash price was $4.15 per gallon. At around 9 a.m. — his second and likely final fill-up of the day — the price was $4.25.

His wallet is sensitive to any price fluctuation. His taxi company pays only half of his gas bill.

John Melvin of Newburgh, who was also fueling up at the Mobil, has also noticed prices creeping up since January. He only puts in $10 to $15 of gas at a time, but tries to go a bit farther for the same amount of money by traveling on main roads with fewer stoplights.

Crude oil costs are high, putting upward pressure on prices at the pump. Crude oil was trading between $95 and $96 per barrel Friday, slightly down from an 8-month high of $98 per barrel reached last week, Laskoski said.

The persistently weak U.S. dollar contributes to increasing crude oil costs as well, Laskoski said. Institutional investors try to protect themselves against the dollar by investing in commodities like crude oil, he said.